Monday, April 28, 2008

Would you be willing work 4 ten hour days? This is a proposal made by King 5 yesterday. I found it intriguing and thought about the pros and cons today.

Here is the Seattle area we have some of the nation's worst traffic congestion problems. A 4 day work week, if employers varied which days employees worked, might actually help some of the congestion problem, and cut down on pollution as well. Employees would save money by only having to commute 4 out of 5 days. Of course working a ten hour day would be grueling, but I suppose one could get use to it.

Another advantage would be to families with children. Parents who put their kids in day care would save by only having to pay for 4 days rather than 5. For those with more than one child, the savings would really add up over a one year period. Parents would also have more quality time to spend with their children. The downside of course for working couples would be the 10 hour days, which might cause more problems in working out after school schedules than it is worth.

All in all, I think the pros out weight the cons. I think King 5 brought up a good idea that other citiies in the country are putting to a test. Would you change your work schedule to help the environment?

Sunday, April 27, 2008

I am starting this blog to bring attention to an issue that is critical, but seems to be on the back burner. I have lived in the Puget Sound most of the 46 years of my life, and I have noticed desturbing changes in our environment. I am hoping to raise awareness so that we can all make changes in our lifestyle in order to sustain the beautiful environment in which we live.

I was fortunate to spend many of my younger years in a small town in south Puget Sound called Gig Harbor. For many of those years I lived in my grandmother's house which is located on Hales Passage. Over the years I have noticed that the abudant wild life that I use to see in my neighborhood has vanished. Not only from the land, but from the sea as well. I remember seeing pods of Orcas swim by while I was waiting for the school bus. None have shown up in over 3 decades. Red fox, coyotes and bears also use to roam the area. The fox are completely gone, the coyotes and bears have dwindled.

Campfires on the beach use to be a summer staple. Now, most of the summer there is a burn ban on due to pollution, so those are no longer possible. What scares me is that these changes have occured in a very short period of time. Individual citizens can no longer ignore the fact that we all need to be concerned about conservation. We can all do our part: drive fuel efficient cars, recycle, stop using pesticides and fertilizers in our gardens and on our lawns, by cleaning solutions that are environmentally friendly.

I will be researching and photographing environmental issues affecting the Puget Sound. Stay tuned.....